Listening, Understanding, Enjoying M. Thomas, Instructor
As I continue to think about and refine this class, I keep learning. I’ve realized that the approach I’ve evolved towards text heavy, narrative rich music is unique. The way I listen and the way I think is informed by my training as an anthropologist and my craft as a novelist. This sets me apart from others with different training who bring their own brand of informed ear and mind to balladry. Most people who make a point of engaging music in a comparative, analytic, reflective way are musicians, ethnomusicologists, critics, or literary scholars. What people hear and the kinds of questions that emerge differ from person to person depending on the mentality brought to the music. Since I am teaching the class, I show you how I do it in the hopes that my perspective will enrich yours. Through discourse and class work (papers, presentations, etc.), I expect your perspectives to enrich mine.
The song collections I put together are there to provide content, to demonstrate something of the utility of songs in understanding culture, and to demonstrate the narrative techniques that exist in some of their most basic and pure forms in these very, very short stories. On a couple of occasions I‘ve gotten feedback from students indicating discomfort, disappointment, or dissatisfaction with some of the music. These comments, in retrospect, are misguided. With a couple of exceptions, I am not choosing music for your enjoyment, at least not for your immediate enjoyment. I expect that as you engage the songs and come to understand the storytelling parameters, the intents of the musicians in terms of their audience (which ordinarily would not include you), and the artistry of the musicians in producing stories that connect to their audiences, you’ll evolve towards enjoyment of the songs.
Most of the songs speak to the situation of people in a different cultural context than ours. All of the songs are popular in that they have currency, continuity, and emotional resonance with the audience the musician is targeting. The songs have all enjoyed popular commercial success as consumer products, not necessarily in a mass culture market, but certainly in their market niche. (an example - two of the songs in one collection are from the Tigres Del Norte’s “Idolos del Pueblo” - Idols of the People - album, a double platinum album that’s sold more than ten million copies) It’s important to not dismiss songs because they do not speak to your concerns, concerns which are inevitably narrow in the context or the world of human possibilities. All of these songs speak powerfully to someone’s concerns and as such they present us with an opportunity to achieve greater understanding of people who live different lives from ourselves. This reflects my anthropological ethos. My entire professional life is devoted to understanding people who live differently, think differently, and have different concerns from myself. I very much hope that all of you integrate this ethos into your world view... but it takes work. It’s much easier to simply indulge ourselves in the music that we like best, that’s most accessible to us. What I’m asking you to do it to put in the work to understand how and why the people the musicians address find the music enjoyable and the stories poignant.The songs address needs, celebrate values, and examine preoccupations. The fact that they do not necessarily address your needs, values or preoccupations is basically OK. In a sense, the songs challenge us to find a point of empathy, they lead us into understanding people in circumstances very different than our own.
The songs also illustrate the different ways musicians can dramatize the stories they want to tell. I want us to work to understand the way that the musicians engineer their effects and build compelling stories (again compelling to their target audience - not necessarily including us).
So, listen to any of the assigned songs and ask yourself what sort of song it is - does it deal with death, murder, suicide? Does it deal with betrayal? What values and expectations are embedded in the song. Similarly, look over the list of techniques. Pick one and listen to a song or two focusing on that one dimension. With openings, for example, you might want to listen to the opening of several songs to explore how the different musician/storytellers attempt to grab the attention of the audience and/or establish their authority to tell the story. Another question to pose has to do with the persona of the storyteller - who is telling the story and why should the audience believe him/her? Then move, pick another dimension, conflict, for example, and listen to the song again giving your exclusive attention to conflict, what conflicts animate the story and what happens to the conflict? ( is it resolved or intensified). Many of the songs will have multiple conflicts (physical conflicts, personality conflicts, value conflicts, and/or moral dilemmas.
So, you can look for conflict. In fact, I encourage you to do so. Alternately, you could explore another dimension. You could look at characterization, for example. Who are the characters in the story and how does the storyteller develop the characters?. Don’t just listen to the song! Listen with intent. Listen to find out specific things. Listen to songs multiple times to explore the different dimensions of the storyteller’s craft.
Do this kind of thing, and you’ll soon find yourself, perhaps against your inclination, really enjoying the songs. For my part, I’ve tried to be considerate of your preferences in that I’ve included some music that’s familiar, accessible, and immediately enjoyable for you all. Do remember though, entertainment is not the point.
M. Thomas, Instructor
As I continue to think about and refine this class, I keep learning. I’ve realized that the approach I’ve evolved towards text heavy, narrative rich music is unique. The way I listen and the way I think is informed by my training as an anthropologist and my craft as a novelist. This sets me apart from others with different training who bring their own brand of informed ear and mind to balladry. Most people who make a point of engaging music in a comparative, analytic, reflective way are musicians, ethnomusicologists, critics, or literary scholars. What people hear and the kinds of questions that emerge differ from person to person depending on the mentality brought to the music. Since I am teaching the class, I show you how I do it in the hopes that my perspective will enrich yours. Through discourse and class work (papers, presentations, etc.), I expect your perspectives to enrich mine.
The song collections I put together are there to provide content, to demonstrate something of the utility of songs in understanding culture, and to demonstrate the narrative techniques that exist in some of their most basic and pure forms in these very, very short stories. On a couple of occasions I‘ve gotten feedback from students indicating discomfort, disappointment, or dissatisfaction with some of the music. These comments, in retrospect, are misguided. With a couple of exceptions, I am not choosing music for your enjoyment, at least not for your immediate enjoyment. I expect that as you engage the songs and come to understand the storytelling parameters, the intents of the musicians in terms of their audience (which ordinarily would not include you), and the artistry of the musicians in producing stories that connect to their audiences, you’ll evolve towards enjoyment of the songs.
Most of the songs speak to the situation of people in a different cultural context than ours. All of the songs are popular in that they have currency, continuity, and emotional resonance with the audience the musician is targeting. The songs have all enjoyed popular commercial success as consumer products, not necessarily in a mass culture market, but certainly in their market niche. (an example - two of the songs in one collection are from the Tigres Del Norte’s “Idolos del Pueblo” - Idols of the People - album, a double platinum album that’s sold more than ten million copies) It’s important to not dismiss songs because they do not speak to your concerns, concerns which are inevitably narrow in the context or the world of human possibilities. All of these songs speak powerfully to someone’s concerns and as such they present us with an opportunity to achieve greater understanding of people who live different lives from ourselves. This reflects my anthropological ethos. My entire professional life is devoted to understanding people who live differently, think differently, and have different concerns from myself. I very much hope that all of you integrate this ethos into your world view... but it takes work. It’s much easier to simply indulge ourselves in the music that we like best, that’s most accessible to us. What I’m asking you to do it to put in the work to understand how and why the people the musicians address find the music enjoyable and the stories poignant.The songs address needs, celebrate values, and examine preoccupations. The fact that they do not necessarily address your needs, values or preoccupations is basically OK. In a sense, the songs challenge us to find a point of empathy, they lead us into understanding people in circumstances very different than our own.
The songs also illustrate the different ways musicians can dramatize the stories they want to tell. I want us to work to understand the way that the musicians engineer their effects and build compelling stories (again compelling to their target audience - not necessarily including us).
So, listen to any of the assigned songs and ask yourself what sort of song it is - does it deal with death, murder, suicide? Does it deal with betrayal? What values and expectations are embedded in the song. Similarly, look over the list of techniques. Pick one and listen to a song or two focusing on that one dimension. With openings, for example, you might want to listen to the opening of several songs to explore how the different musician/storytellers attempt to grab the attention of the audience and/or establish their authority to tell the story. Another question to pose has to do with the persona of the storyteller - who is telling the story and why should the audience believe him/her? Then move, pick another dimension, conflict, for example, and listen to the song again giving your exclusive attention to conflict, what conflicts animate the story and what happens to the conflict? ( is it resolved or intensified). Many of the songs will have multiple conflicts (physical conflicts, personality conflicts, value conflicts, and/or moral dilemmas.
So, you can look for conflict. In fact, I encourage you to do so. Alternately, you could explore another dimension. You could look at characterization, for example. Who are the characters in the story and how does the storyteller develop the characters?. Don’t just listen to the song! Listen with intent. Listen to find out specific things. Listen to songs multiple times to explore the different dimensions of the storyteller’s craft.
Do this kind of thing, and you’ll soon find yourself, perhaps against your inclination, really enjoying the songs.
For my part, I’ve tried to be considerate of your preferences in that I’ve included some music that’s familiar, accessible, and immediately enjoyable for you all. Do remember though, entertainment is not the point.